Day 16: Whole Wheat Angel Hair with Organic Italian Sausage

After the bloodbath of 2011 this morning, thanks to my toddler getting wild with a toy and busting his lip open and an otherwise hectic day, I wanted something fast and easy. So, this recipe isn't from scratch but it's certainly good! It is my recipe at least. I threw this together in about 30 minutes.

Whole Wheat Angel Hair with Organic Italian Sausage
What you'll need:
12 oz. Whole Wheat Angel Hair
1 lb. Italian Sausage
30 oz. Spaghetti sauce of your choice (I used Garlic Cheese and Spinach)
4 oz.  Mushroom stems and pieces
1 T. Basil
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder

Cook pasta as directed. Cube the Italian Sausage into 1" pieces and brown until cooked through in a large skillet. Once pasta is done, drain and return to the pot, adding in sauce and mushrooms, then add in Sausage. Mix well. Finally, mix in basil, garlic, and onion powder until well blended. Yields 8 servings.

Ratings from the Experts*: 10/10 from Hubby. Same for me. The sausage was tasty and the seasonings were perfect for the sauce! And super easy to make!

Day 11: Mushrooms & Fettuccine with Red Pepper flakes

I'm baaaaaa-aaaack! And so glad to be in my own kitchen after a good night's sleep. I ate some wonderful meals in Dallas, but I'm starting to like my own cooking enough to want to cook! Tonight I ripped off Cathy at Noble Pig's Mushrooms and Fettuccine with Red Pepper Flakes recipe, except I added a couple of my own twists due to my hi-jinks in the kitchen.

I didn't have enough mushrooms and thus didn't create enough sauce. Plus, my husband likes thicker sauces on pasta as a rule, so I ended up adding a 1/2 c of half and half. I liked the effect on the sauce, but still want to try the recipe with double the mushrooms.

P.S. Artificial light sucks for trying to photograph food. Today was rainy, so there wasn't enough natural light to get a decent shot.

Mushrooms & Fettuccine with Red Pepper Flakes
What you'll need:
8 oz. dry fettuccine
3 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. basil
1/2 lb. sliced baby bellas
1/2 c red cooking wine
1/2 c half and half
1/2 c grated Parmesan/Romano blend
Salt to taste
Chopped Parsley

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions.  Drain pasta; set aside.

Heat butter and oil in a saute pan over medium-high.  When bubbles subside add garlic and pepper flakes; cook 1 minute.  Stir in mushrooms, cooking until they release their liquid and it's nearly evaporated, about 20 minutes.  Deglaze pan with wine, simmering until nearly evaporated.

Add fettuccine to pan and stir in half and half, 1/4 cup at a time, until it loosely coats pasta.  Off heat, toss pasta with Parmesan/Romano and season with salt.  Garnish each serving with chopped parsley and more Parmesan/Romano.


Ratings from the Experts*: Hubby gives it a 7 (less pepper, more sauce) but loved the zing that the pepper gave the dish overall. I give it the same. I'd be happier with more mushrooms too. I will say, if I figure out the right amounts of spice/sauce/mushrooms, this could easily be a 10.